Visual3D Game Engine
| Visual3D Game Engine | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Realmware Corporation |
| Stable release | v0.9.4 (Beta 4)
/ June 6, 2009 (v0.9.5 expected in early August) |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Xbox360 |
| Platform | PC, Xbox360 |
| Type | Game Engine |
| License | Commercial and Academic licenses (including Hobbyist, Indie, Professional, Enterprise) |
| Website | Visual3D Game Engine |
Visual3D Game Engine is an All-in-One Game Engine and Toolset written in C#/.NET for XNA to run on Microsoft Windows and with upcoming Xbox360 support.
Overview
Visual3D Game Engine is the commercial successor to the open-source RealmForge Game Engine with roots going back to the OGRE Engine 3D open-source engine. Visual3D.NET is the flagship product of Realmware Corporation, based in Seattle, Washington, and incorporated in February 2006.
As of July 2008, Visual3D Game Engine has been employed for multiple private business projects and by the US Department of Defense for military simulation and training. Also in 2008, Visual3D Game Engine has begun to permeate education and Indie sectors as a part of the recent XNA trends.
Visual3D Game Engine is one of many new XNA Game Engines recently created in response to the release of Microsoft XNA in 2006.[1]
Microsoft XNA Migration Trends
In August 2006, Microsoft's GameFest keynote speech first declared the viability of .NET for gaming, with the first public release of XNA and Game Studio products, which would open up the Xbox360 and PC for game development by Indies and students.[2][3]
This announcement set into motion the rise of many new XNA-based game engines (e.g. TorqueX). A comprehensive list of XNA-based engines is maintained at the ZiggyWare XNA Game Engine List, and a .NET-based engine list is maintained at the Z-Buffer .NET Game Engine List.
Microsoft's XNA initiative is a part of the larger trend for gaming technology migrating from traditional C++ to higher level managed languages, such as Java, C#, and VB.NET, which is a continuation of the historic trends for the migration of software development from lower level languages such Assembly and C to higher level languages such as C++.